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I recently attended a One Direction concert. Here are some of my observations.
Harry is HOT. Like off-the-charts Hot.
I loved the show, except toward the end when Louis hit such a sour note I wanted to scream STOP! He was so off-key it was awful. Shut the mic off awful! Sorry Lou, but it was BAD.
The time between Icona Pop and One Direction was too long.
Girls need to invest in a mirror and learn what sexy is. Sexy is NOT wearing a dress so short that if you move your underwear is on view for everyone to see. Wearing clothing that is way too small is NOT sexy. Letting your asscheeks hang out your shorts is NOT sexy. And one of the weirdest trends….dying your lovely hair gray. That will happen soon enough naturally, enjoy your color while you still have it.
Liam can really sing! He was wonderful.
I would love to have a pint with Niall. The guy looks like he is genuinely having a great time and enjoying life.
IN conclusion, I amassed a ton of ideas for my writing. Getting out and experiencing life is good for a creative person. One time I went to a concert and came back with an idea for a book called Echoes of Us. I wonder what book will come from the OTRA concert?
Xo Teegan

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What a busy week. And it’s only Wednesday. My new novel, Love Complicated, released on May 11, 2015. Tomorrow, my 7th grader takes the court as a member of the varsity high school tennis team to begin the defense of their state title at their regional tournament. Before you ask, yes, she is a starter. She’ll probably be playing #1 doubles. I’m not sure which has been more stressful: the book release or the pending tournament. Being a mom of an athlete is hard work. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be the mom of a professional athlete or any world class athlete.
So while I’m chewing my fingernails watching my kid play, you should pick up a copy of Love Complicated and see how Jalen deals with Austin Suter who is slated to become a world class tennis player.
or find the book on AmazonAll Romance eBooks

I hope you all have a joyous week.
Xo Teegan

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My book, Love Complicated, releases tomorrow. Instead of freaking out and obsessing over the numbers and everything else that comes along with a release, I figured I’d do a blog post about completing your novel. I presented this to my writer’s group last week. So here are my thoughts on how to complete your novel.

Be it one page long or over 100k words, learning how to complete a story can be a test in and of itself. So what is the secret to finishing your story?
Let’s begin with reasons NOT to finish. And no matter how many stories I’ve written these thing always creep into my mind during the process.

!. You get STUCK. How many of you are at this point? You’re deep into your story and things stop. You don’t know how to move forward. WHY? What is stopping you?

What can we do to get unstuck?

A. Start at the beginning. Reread what you have written. Sometimes getting to know your characters again will help you move forward. Rereading may also help you identify a problem area.

B. Write the almost ending so you have a clear path. Or if you use an outline, go back over the outline and write the final or close to final scene.

C. When I’m not really feeling it, I force myself to do something I call free writing. This entails opening your document and just writing. Sometimes it’s only dialogue, other times it’s moving the story forward by ending a scene. You can always go back and fill in more detail or cut stuff that doesn’t make sense. Usually this exercise helps me get unstuck and move the story forward again. Your enemy is not a badly written scene or chapter. It is the empty page.

2. Another trap writer’s fall into: You think your story sucks
I’m pretty sure this happens to every writer. No one can be so secure that they believe everything they write is a going to be a bestseller and every reader will adore and devour all the words. There is no magical formula to combat this feeling. It will always be there. As a writer you need to figure out how to get past it and fall in love with your characters and your story again.

3. You get bored and start something else
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Starting a new story is fun. Slogging through a story you’ve been working on for months can be tiresome. But you have to keep your eye on the prize, which is a completed manuscript and the chance to get published.

4. I don’t have time to write
Uh huh. I don’t buy it. If writing is something you really want to do, you will make time.

5. ________ Fill in the blank with your excuses. What are some of the things you tell yourself?

How can we get past the excuses.

1. Set realistic goals and be accountable. Writing 500 words per day isn’t that difficult. It’s two pages. And even if you don’t make your goal, write something. The best way to be accountable is to tell someone your goal. Keep a diary of your word count. Expand by including when you write and your environment. Try writing in different places. Leave your house. Go to the library. Sit outside. Go to a coffee shop. Sit in your car with your laptop. Turn on music. Turn on the TV. Turn off the music. Turn off the TV. Turn off social media.

2. Set deadlines and give yourself a reward for reaching your goal

3. Think about the reason you wanted to write this story in the first place.

4. Use Write or Die

5. Using an outline vs. no outline

An outline gives you a path to follow and although you may veer off and end in the tall trees a few times, you can always find your way back

The only way I’ve been able to get by without using an outline is by writing my almost end so I have some sort of view of how the story will end.

One of the most important things to do when coming to the end of your novel is to tie up loose ends for main characters and secondary characters. What’s important and what can go by the wayside? Don’t forget about the secondary characters. Their stories need to be resolved too.

Don’t worry about the rules. Write the story you want to read.

I can sit hear and preach and preach about finishing your story, but ultimately it’s up to you. If you never finish your story no one will ever read it. Your characters will only exist in your mind, floundering and never changing.

Er, yeah…Rock on…and just to be clear…I like the Tesla version best. And yes, I know the rock purists are going to throw crap at me. But that’s okay, I take a lot of shit for my taste in music. Hahahahaha…

Damn big picture again…I need to figure that size thing out…bwahahaha… Anyway, the question of the moment is do you believe in signs. Whenever I’m writing a story, I find myself freaking out, wondering if it’s good enough, if it’s worth telling the story. What astounds me is when I’m really teetering on the edge, a sign shows up and I know it’s right to continue with the story. The other day a person going by the name of Jae followed me on one of social media sites. Jae is the nickname of my main character. Tonight, as I’m watching CSI, the story is about a tennis player. The love of my main character is a tennis player, shooting to become a pro. Noticing these small signs make me excited to continue the story. So, in between all the writing deadlines I’m currently juggling, I’m going to keep plodding along with my pop star and tennis boy story.

And, if you feel like it, tell me your superstitions. Do you experience the Sign thing.

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I know it’s only Wednesday, but I would like to request a do-over for this week.

!. My TV blew up…literally. Big Boom and everything.

2. I completed the 50k for NANO, but didn’t upload the words to be verified mainly because I couldn’t decide how I wanted to write the story. I have now settled on writing in chronological order instead of using flashbacks. So I’m staring at two documents each with about 26k written. Maybe this is a good thing but I’m feeling totally overwhelmed and I don’t have a title for the stories. Never happened before. I always know the title.

3. My kid lost her retainer after just two days…this one does have a happy ending. Grandpa dug through garbage at school and actually found the thing.

4. I had to issue a take-down notice after I found one of my books listed on a pirate site. The rights were returned to me so it was left up to me to send the notice. Does this mean I can add badass lawyer to my resume. Guess I need to wait until the book is taken off the pirate site.

5. It’s been snowing…all day

6. I haven’t written anything today

7. It’s official…today has just been strange…I just opened an email and Frozen Hearts is going to be released by Dreamspinner Press with an added 20k to plump up the original story. This is a great thing…I mean, it will be a great thing when I add the extra words by February 1st.
8. it’s still snowing.
9. Still haven’t figured out how to hook up the Wii to the new TV…I think I need a different cord.
10. This day wore me out. I believe I need a good cry so I’m going to finish watching the movie Rudy.
Xo Teegan

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It’s almost Thanksgiving and I needed a break from my NANO project for a few minutes. I’m getting close to the 50k even if the words are all mixed up and in need of serious editing. I can start that project on December 1st.

So on this little break, I decided I should do a thankful post. So bear with me: I am thankful for my real life family and friends. I am thankful for my online friends who accept me for who I am and offer a cheer or two when things aren’t going how I want them to, which seems to be a lot of times lately…lol…I am thankful for my mini, even if sometimes, she so much like me that I’d like to pull my hair out by the roots. I’m thankful for my fur babies, especially Zoey who always sits next to me when I write. I am thankful for the voices in my head who are sometimes loud and overbearing until I tell their stories. I am thankful for my readers who take the time to read my books and whether you like the stories or not, you have read my words and I am grateful. Ten days ago, Echoes of Us was released and I hope you find the time to check out the story.

And whether you celebrate the holiday or not, may you find something to be thankful for…

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Some say it’s too hot. Some say it’s too cold. Some say shit before they’ve even tasted it. A few say it’s just right and others don’t say a damn thing. I feel like fucking Goldilocks watching the three bears devour my porridge that I worked hard to create and then being forced to listen to them complain because the shit wasn’t perfect.

Ahhhhhh, whew, that felt good to vent. But it’s stops now, because worrying about things I have absolutely NO control over is silly and makes dark circles form under my eyes. It’s not a pretty sight. But you know what is a beautiful sight, opening your mail and physically touching your dream. That’s what I did today.

It took a long time for me to get to this spot in my life and I’m not going to let forces I cannot control spoil the moment. I’m proud of myself for the work it took, for the long hours spent on a computer and for the perseverance to get a book published. I’m not going to focus on the negatives anymore. There’s a lot to celebrate when you reach a goal. That goal can be anything from writing a book to running a 5k to graduating from college …. just insert your own goal. But remember, there will always be people ready and waiting to bring you down. It’s up to you to refuse to let them. Enjoy your moment. That’s what I’m doing